
ST KENTIGERN'S WAY
Popularly known as St Mungo, Glasgow's Patron Saint Kentigern travelled widely on foot throughout Clydesdale, Upper Tweeddale and Annandale on his missionary activities. This pilgrim way recreates one such journey.
​
-
Starts Annan on the Solway Firth
-
Ends Glasgow Cathedral
-
Silver Level Accredited Route
-
150 ml / 241 km
-
Fully Waymarked
-
Accommodation available

​The 150 mile (240 km) long-distance trail from St Kentigern's Episcopal Seat at Hoddom to his tomb in the Crypt of Glasgow Cathedral is named The Kentigern Way. The route may be undertaken as a pilgrimage or as a secular long-distance walk with much of historical interest to offer, as well as some delightful scenery, villages and rural towns.
We are deeply indebted to Bill and Christine Jack who have generously given their time and skills to designing this route in partnership with private landowners and public organisations. The retired couple personally undertook the final stage of way-marking the route, using the iconic fish emblem of the Saint.
Kentigern travelled widely on foot throughout Clydesdale, Upper Tweeddale and Annandale on his missionary activities. He was responsible for establishing a major monastic centre at Hoddom, just north of the present town of Annan and would have made frequent journeys between Glasgow and Hoddom.
The Kentigern Way long-distance walking route recreates one of these journeys. It takes as its starting point the town of Annan, just south of Hoddom, traverses the three river valleys of the Annan, the Tweed and the Clyde finally to arrive in the great Victorian city of Glasgow with its Cathedral, built on the site of Kentigern's original monastic cell.
The route is almost entirely off-road leading the walker on clearly waymarked paths through the magnificent sweep of Scottish Border landscapes, encompassing pleasant riverside walkways, loch-side trails and high moorland hills, with many a delightful Border town encountered on the way. The walk comprises 10 sections of more or less equal length with accommodation facilities available at the end of each section.
On the way, there is much to beguile the walker. Treading in the footsteps of Roman legions, Border rievers and cattle drovers the walker will encounter traces of Iron-age strongholds, Roman forts, medieval churches, castles, battlefields, and lingering tales of Kentigern and the elusive Merlin.
In the space of this journey, you will traverse five millennia of Scottish history.

ST KENTIGERN'S WAY IN STAGES
The Kentigern Way follows a linked series of existing long-distance paths which connect Annan to Glasgow. The route is described from South to North (but can just as easily be followed in the opposite direction if so desired). The start point and finish points of the route are conveniently served by public train and bus transport as are several places along the route.
-
Sections 1, 2 and 3 follow the Annandale Way from Annan to Moffat
​
-
Sections 4 and 5 follow the Southern Upland Way past St Mary's Loch to Traquair in Upper Tweeddale
​
-
Section 6 follows part of the Cross Border Drove Road to Peebles
​
-
Section 7 Follows the John Buchan Way to Biggar
​
-
Section 8 follows a series of byways leading to the Clyde Valley and New Lanark
​
-
Sections 9 and 10 follow the Clyde Walkway into Glasgow and the Cathedral.
​
With the exception of section 8, each of these trail sections has its own dedicated web-site giving full details of the route. This Kentigern Way web-site provides a gateway to the relevant portions of these web-sites.
​
The majority of the paths are clearly waymarked as part of already established routes. Kentigern waymarkers are placed only at occasional intervals. Links are provided to the websites of the established walking routes' as shown below.
Appropriate website links will appear on the detailed sectional pages along with images of their waymarker logos.
(Note: where reference is made to the L and R banks of the rivers, this is based on the direction walking northwards and not the direction of flow of the rivers.)
The established walking routes that are followed are:-


